my dear Estonian friends, N and Andrus, have visited me, and kept me very busy drinking the endless beers, but that is my life-choice also.

I have, would you believe it, CCCP bike, 1974 Dnepr MT-9, actually I have four of them, but you can only ride one at a time. Which is a pity.

Actually, I had an Estonian school teacher in my youth, Andre Perendi, and I still remember some of his teachings.

Anyway, motorcycles. I started at age 6 with TAS mini-bike. Since then everything I could ride. I have owned a Triumph 650 1968 and even a Suzuki 750 "water-bottle", (3-cyl 2-stroke 750). and many others, until 1976 I found a Dnepr MT-9 650. It has been a good bike for me. For some it would not be the bike of choice I know.

Can you guess my age? ok, 53, and still smokin'

For now, back to beer. I already got my bike out today

But I am sitting with N right now and drinking beer, so age does not count. I do not speak Estonian, only english, which I am poorer for, but it is good to be on this Estonian forum's English board, and I will check in regularly to see what is new.

That's one fine looking bike you've got there. Those old russian iron-horses run for decades if you don't mind keeping your fingers oiled. It's also nice to see N won't look that bad after 25 more years on beer.

spinna kirjutas:
Did USSR actually export these to Australia?
Eeee...doesn't gasoline fall out from tank down there?

It was quite by chance that I found the Dneprs, Urals, Izh, and other CCCP bikes in Australia. A small dealership was selling them here in the early 1970s, for, would you believe it, "a dollar a c.c.", this meant that a 650cc Dnepr was AUD$650.00.

The dealer also told me that he was closing and only had a couple of bikes left, and after a short test ride on one, which began to rip my arms off and break my backbone, it was in reverse gear and when I let the clutch out it was real terror! He showed me how to go to forward gears and I liked it so much I bought one on the spot. I traded in an old Yamaha RD250, so the final price for a new Dnepr was just AUD$200.00

This $200 motorbike has lasted me over 30 years! Plus over the years I have bought 3 more, as spare parts in Australia for these bikes was non-existant.

Years later I found a man who had tons of spare parts so I was able to get some essential spares. This was before the internet. Nowadays you can find almost anything on ebay or thru friends on the internet.

From what I found out, there are about 50 Ural and 50 Dnepr in Australia from these 1970s shipment. In 1980 came another 100 Ural M-67, and in 2008 a new dealer opened here and has sold about 70 of the latest model Ural GearUp.

So my Dnepr is quite rare in Australia, everytime people ask me is it an Indian, or an old BMW, or what. When I tell them it was made in Ukraine they are usually quite surprised.

Yes, oily hands! But that is the fun of such a machine, if I don't look after it right it will not be my friend, but after so many years it is my friend. Sure, sometimes a flat tyre or something needs repair, but any bike is like that. At least I can fix any problem usually before it becomes one.

Greetings to all you guys

PS Does the gasoline fall out the top... No, but the water going down the drain spins in the other direction to you!

Hallo J.D.
Have you tried Dnepr with SIDECAR? Dnepr without sidecar is just a "too ordinary" heavy piece of metal, only a half of fun or even less... Yuo MUST try it!!! Find it, get it, whatever it takes... before its too late... you never regrets

Sidecars! ahhh yes! I have quite some experience already, like riding 1000km from Melbourne to Sydney with a sidecar on the right side. I think the sidecar wheel only touched the highway a few times! (Note I said the "right" side). In Australia it is like England and the sidecar must be on the LEFT side. Grrrr!

But I have almost solved the problem. I have an old Ural sidecar with the heavy leaf springs. Man they are heavy springs, no wonder they changed to little springs with a rubber cover under the sidecar. It has taken me years to "cut and paste" my sidecar frame to mirror image. I used to just sit and look at it in a large wall mirror and drink beer trying to figure out how to "reverse" it. About 30 cuts and welds later it is now a left hand sidecar. I spent AUD$900 on black laquer and other little things. I have not bothered to try and change the sidecar passenger cutout entry. It keeps the water out from the side also. I hope if all goes to plan it will be on the bike soon. One nut and bolt at a time.

J.D. kirjutas:I used to just sit and look at it in a large wall mirror.

What a nice solution! instead of photo flipping

this was before I became a computer user...

J.D. kirjutas:it is now a left hand sidecar.

But isnt there any registering problems or somethings?
G[/quote]

I dont think it will be very difficult, as it is an old bike (1974, and before the VIN system). I only have to obtain an inspection pass from my local mechanic, then tell the traffic authority I have added a sidecar and then pay them more money. I hope it will be as simple as this.

I used to share the dorm with aussie in Sweden back at the beginning of 90-s. We called him Skippy. He never made it to classes, but was great fun to hang around with. One Spring he visited Estonia and bought here Czechoslovakian Jawa 350cc two stroke. Few years later he wrote a postcard from UK that he had done already two rounds around Europe on that bike and planned the third one. Unfortunately haven't heard of him since.

But if you meet Skippy touring around on 350 cc light red Jawa in Australia, give the best regards

Hi ilmar, thats good news! If there is some way to get Mr Perendi a message, he will remember the North Ryde High School in Sydney Australia. He was the BEST teacher that school ever had! The school has now been demolished to make way for city type buildings... it was once a place on the edge of the city, now it is the middle of huge technological park, even with an underground railway!